The Lamb
by goldieasj
Summary: After he has been kidnapped and beaten, Hannibal Heyes mysteriously refuses to allow the Kid to rescue him!


**THE LAMB**

**by Goldie**

From his vantage point many yards from the house, Kid Curry's binoculars helped him determine the general layout of the small ranch's living area. He felt well-hidden behind foliage and took his time trying to determine which building Hannibal Heyes was being held captive in. There were several small buildings and a barn, as well as a main ranch house comprising the living quarters of the Greave Ranch. It was beginning to get dark and already a light or two could be seen in the house. The Kid disliked having to make serious decisions in limited visibility – this mission was too vitally important to him. But nighttime scouting was preferable to accidentally being spotted in broad daylight. He didn't feel he was able to see enough detail through the glasses. As the light grew dimmer, he turned his binoculars up toward the moon to check on its brightness. The moon promised to shed a great deal of light on this night, so the Kid spit on the lenses and rubbed them clean with his neckerchief.

Now he could see the ranch house much better. There were several rooms with windows, all of which had drawn curtains. Most were dark. One of the larger windows showed curtain silhouettes of people moving about in the room. He wondered absently if any of them was his partner. If so, Heyes was clearly not tied up or otherwise confined. He hoped for this but didn't believe it for a minute.

The barn was another possibility. It was a large building and was a good place to hide a man. The Kid worried a bit about the dryness of hay and the small possibility that a stray bullet might start a fire. This was an unpleasant thought so he pushed it to the back of his mind.

He looked all around him in the fading light and felt secure in his belief that he had not been followed. The sounds of the night were commencing and folding gently in around him. He sat down on the ground to think, setting down the binoculars. Kid Curry was proud of himself for having found the Greave Ranch without much guidance from anyone, but now that he was here, he was at a loss what to do. He needed a plan and didn't have one. He needed a Hannibal Heyes Plan, but Heyes obviously wouldn't be much help here.

He tried to think like he believed his partner would. This would mean organizing his thoughts and considering all possibilities. He knew who was responsible for his partner's captivity but he did not understand a motive. Perhaps if he could figure out why Heyes had been abducted, he could come up with a reasonable plan of rescue. But on the other hand, he wasn't absolutely certain that Heyes had in fact been abducted. It's remotely possible that Heyes had traveled to the ranch willingly. Surrounded by men with guns leveled on him.

But that was a farfetched possibility at best. Kid Curry knew that Heyes was not here of his own free will and that he needed his friend's – the Kid's! – help to escape.

Why did they take him? If they'd known that he was really outlaw Hannibal Heyes instead of everyman Joshua Smith, they would've turned him in to the Sheriff in town for the reward. Instead, Heyes was seen riding out of town late in the night on his horse, surrounded by armed men who, the Kid was told, were members of the Greave family. So, clearly the Greaves were unaware of his real identity. But if they didn't know about the reward, they also would not have known about the talents Heyes possessed, such as safecracking, that they might have wanted to utilize. Certainly there was nothing else to blackmail his partner with. So blackmail seemed unlikely. The Kid was stumped.

He sat quietly on the ground, listening to the night sounds and running and re-running the last few hours through his mind.

When he had first entered the town, he had gone straight to the hotel and been given a key to Heyes's room, which, according to the room clerk, had been paid a week in advance. The week was almost up and the clerk had not seen Mr. Smith for several days now. In the room the Kid found nothing amiss. Heyes was not there but his few belongings were sitting on or near the bureau. His hat, gunbelt and jacket were not in the room. Kid Curry had then gone to the restaurant, only to discover that Heyes had not been there at all. He then went to the town's three or four saloons to make inquiries. In the last one, he ran across some luck. The bartender remembered Heyes but seemed reluctant to talk about him. It took the Kid some slick talking to convince the bartender to reveal the information that Heyes had been playing poker was five men several evenings ago. The men mentioned were the town drunk, a stranger, and the three local Greave brothers. Heyes, according to the bartender, had not been winning, had been losing big to the Greave brothers, in fact, but he had retained a smiling face and a good attitude throughout. The bartender remembered overhearing Heyes promise to pay the brothers back from his winnings the next night.

The next thing the bartender knew, the Greave brothers had surrounded Heyes with guns leveled. The town drunk and the stranger melted into the woodwork. The bartender recalled that Heyes did not seem flustered or drunk and even tried to reason with the brothers. But they had insisted that he accompany them. The last thing the bartender saw of Heyes was the three Greave brothers escorting him outside at gunpoint. The bartender assumed they were taking him to the Sheriff's office.

So the Kid had, against his better judgment, traipsed to the Sheriff's office to question him. There was no one in the jail, and, in fact, the obliging Sheriff said sorry, he'd never heard of Joshua Smith.

But when Kid Curry mentioned the Greave brothers, the Sheriff's friendly demeanor changed completely. The otherwise affable Sheriff suddenly became grim and surly. "Yeah, I know who they are," was all he'd give.

"But, Sheriff," the Kid insisted, "my friend is missing. He was last seen with them."

"If he's missing and the Greave brothers are involved, then he's missing. Get used to it."

The Kid's blood froze. For an indeterminate reason he began to feel afraid. He sensed fear in the Sheriff as well. "Who are these people, Sheriff?"

"The Greave family. Hill people. Inherited the ranch from distant relatives also named Greave, maybe a year ago. But they're not like those nice folks who used to live there. Not by a long sight. They are from way back in the hills and their code of living is different from ours. From civilized people's. In fact, they're not even like normal Hill people. They're just - there's no word for it."

A plan and the need for it were beginning to form in the Kid's mind. But he needed more information. "How many of them are there, Sheriff?"

The Sheriff thought for a moment. "Old lady Greave, her three sons and daughter. Some Kid, might be a relative. Maybe others. Don't know. Don't care."

"Why not?"

"Told you – they live by their own code. They don't belong with civilized people. They're – this is true – barbarians. That's what they are. Don't live like normal people. Don't care about no one but themselves. Live like animals. They were the only living relatives or that ranch would never have gone to them. I don't get involved with them – no civilized man does."

_These barbarians had his friend._ The Kid was beginning to feel pangs of panic but covered it well. "They were seen a few nights ago leading my friend down the street at gunpoint."

"Yeah, I heard. They probably took him back to the ranch. Didn't come here."

So the Sheriff knew that Heyes had been held at gunpoint, but hadn't done anything about it. The Kid knew now that this Sheriff was afraid of the Greave family and wouldn't be much help. He controlled his anger and kept his equanimity. "Well, Sheriff, I need to get my friend away from them and I need your help to do it."

"I say get yourself a new friend. Folks say that men who show up at that ranch never show up anywhere else again. That's my help. You'll be wise to listen. Forget your friend Joshua. Ride out of here and don't give it another thought."

"So you won't . . ."

"NO! And if you ask me again, I'll throw you in jail for contempting a lawman! Now get out of here!"

So Kid Curry had been forced to depend on himself. If the Sheriff was afraid of the Greaves, no one in town would be likely to be of much help, either. In fact, he had had a hard time even getting anyone to give him directions to the ranch. Everyone was afraid of the Greaves.

But, luckily he had found it. As he sat on the ground, hidden behind the rocks and bushes, he thought through his story a couple of times. The only "crime" Heyes had committed was not having the money to pay a poker debt. Why would this be a sufficient reason to Kidnap him? Or was there another reason? The Kid was stumped. He sat in the same spot for a long time, long after the night was sufficiently dark for him to make his move. He felt a painful fear gnawing at his stomach. The warnings the Sheriff gave kept coming to mind. Heyes was in serious trouble and he was the only one who could help.

If Heyes was still alive.

After a couple of hours, the Kid concluded that he couldn't wait any longer. He needed to see Heyes and make sure he was all right. He had had sufficient time to work out a plan and was ready to put it into action. A man had entered the barn earlier but had returned to the ranch house. Everything was finally quiet and it looked safe to the Kid to make his move.

Leaving his horse tied to the bush, he made his way stealthily toward the ranch house. He had watched it all night so far and waited until most of the lights had been extinguished. Even as far away as he had been, he had heard yelling in the house and items being thrown around. At one point a couple of men had come outside and idled on the porch for a while, obviously drunk. They were joined by an older woman for a moment. She had long straggly gray hair and was wearing overalls. After a short exchange of words, she cuffed one of the men on the side of his head and he toppled off the porch. Another exchange of words happened between them, loud this time and accompanied by her pointing to the barn. In a moment the man angrily picked himself up off the ground and strode to the barn while the woman went back in the house. But not before berating the other man.

Barbarians? Maybe. Crude, certainly. They clearly didn't live like normal people, anyhow. If the woman was Old Lady Greave, she didn't treat her sons very well. They didn't treat her well, either, although they clearly seemed to respect her. She was obviously the matriarch of the clan and what she said was what they did. The Kid didn't see evidence of much love in this family. He knew he couldn't live this way.

Thoughts such as these continued crossing his mind as he made his way in the dark toward the house. He was very careful to be quiet and remain unseen. He had no desire to deal with a bunch of wild people who were drunk and undoubtedly well-armed. People whose very existence inspired fear in an entire town.

Finally approaching the clearing, the Kid ran to the barn and plastered himself to the side away from the bright moon. He hesitated and listened. Although the house was quiet, he fancied he heard a soft noise coming from the barn. He stood motionless for a short while and listened, but heard no more noises. The barn was the first place he would search. There was a large opening with no door. He snuck through the doorway and used the moonlight to search the interior. He reached out into the dark to feel around and . . .

Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his ankle as his feet flew out from under him. Down he went, crashing hard into the dust-covered floorboards. "Goddam it!"

"Kid?" it was Hannibal Heyes's anxious voice. "That you?"

The Kid rolled over to his hands and knees, coughing in the dust and blinking in an attempt to make out his friend. "Yeah, it's me," he said. "What the hell hap . . ."

"Shut up!" Heyes frantically whispered. "Keep quiet! Don't wake them up!"

The Kid understood and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Who? What are you talking about? Where are you? Are you all right? What happened just now?"

Heyes chuckled slightly before answering. "Lot of questions there, Kid. Sorry I kicked you so hard. Didn't know that was you, though. You're too good to be true right now."

Although not very happy at being intentionally injured by his partner, the Kid had to admit that the joy he felt at hearing his friend's voice overrode everything else. "All right, OK. Let's just go now. You can tell me why you tripped me later."

"Can't do it, Kid. Can't leave right now."

The Kid was confused and Heyes's lighthearted tone of voice didn't help. "Why not?"

"For one thing, as you can see, I'm tied up."

Still on the floor, the Kid crawled closer to his partner. Heyes was sitting mostly in the dark, leaning against a post. He maneuvered his body so he could be seen in the moonlight. Now the Kid could see what he meant. Heyes was tied to the post with his hands behind him. His legs were out in front and this is apparently how he had tripped the Kid. His keen ears had obviously heard some noise the Kid had made but he had expected someone else, someone more menacing, and . . .

"I'll untie you and let's go!" The Kid made a move to reach behind Heyes.

"No, Kid, don't! Just get out of here!"

"What are you _talking_ about?" But the Kid respected Heyes's wishes and sat back down on his haunches. From this vantage point he had his first good view of his partner's face. Heyes's normally even skin tone was bruised and his face was bloodied. Mortified, the Kid looked further and found that Heyes's clothes were torn and also had dried blood on them. He had obviously been beaten. "Who did this to you?" he asked in a dangerously even tone of voice, completely forgetting the need to whisper.

"Doesn't matter, Kid. Just go!"

"Not without you. Not before . . ." At this point they both heard some talking from the main house and a door slamming, followed by the voice of a man approaching the barn.

"Now they've heard you," Heyes whispered frantically. "Hide! Anywhere! Don't let them find you."

Kid Curry's instincts told him not to question his partner. At the first admonition 'hide' he had jumped up and scurried behind a pile of wood. He heard Heyes's parting words furiously whispered, "No matter what you see here, don't do anything! Trust me."

Curious words. The Kid made himself as comfortable as possible and waited. From his vantage point in the dark he had a good view of the open doorway. He heard a man swearing as he entered the barn. "What's all this noise? Why can't you shot up?" The man approached Heyes, bent down, and grabbed his shirt to pull him closer. The man was large and as he pulled, Heyes's arms were uncomfortably stretched. Heyes and even the Kid could smell his fetid alcohol breath. "No more noise tonight! You already been warned! You stupid or something? You wake up Leota again, you get more of this than you can handle!" And with that, he punched his fist into the side of Heyes's head. Heyes ducked and managed to miss some of the blow, but the sickening sound of flesh on flesh indicated that he took the brunt of it. It took all of the Kid's willpower to keep himself hidden and quiet. "You got that?" the man yelled. Heyes nodded respectfully and said "OK, Raybob." Satisfied, the man walked out of the barn. "Now shut up if you want to live through this night!" he yelled behind him.

When the man had gone back inside the house, Heyes whispered, "It's all right, Kid."

The Kid hurried to his partner and turned his head to look at the fresh wound. "It's not all right, Heyes," he whispered gently, "he took a chunk out of you." He grabbed his neckerchief and patted it gently against his partner's head. "What's this all about, anyway? Now can we leave?"

"You better go. I want to live through this night." Heyes was taking a flip approach, but it was obvious he was hurting.

Kid Curry kept his voice low. "I can't let them do this to you. This is crazy! Why do you want to stay?"

Heyes looked at his partner with intense eyes. "I don't want to explain it now," he whispered softly, "but I'm needed here. Stick around nearby. Find me tomorrow. Now go."

Grudgingly, the Kid replaced his neckerchief and stood.

"Wait!" whispered Heyes. "Do you have any food?"

The Kid patted his pockets and found they were empty. "Not on me. Some out on my horse. Sorry."

"Never mind. Just go."

Although nothing else was said between them, the Kid hesitated at the door. They locked eyes for a moment, and the Kid thought he saw a brief expression of intense sadness. It was only a second, though, for Heyes immediately brightened with a smile and a nod.

It was only a flash of sadness, but the Kid was sure he saw it. He trudged back to his horse with a heavy heart.

* * *

After a restless night spent in his bedroll, Kid Curry risked the smoke of a small fire in the morning to cook himself breakfast. During the meal he continued his reconnaissance of the house through his binoculars. He watched as someone left the house for the barn with a plate and a cup. Possibly breakfast for Heyes. The courier was not the man he saw last night, but someone shorter. It might be a teen-aged boy, but he couldn't be sure. He recalled the Sheriff identifying the members of the household for him, including the possibility of a child.

As he was shaving with the aid of a small mirror propped in the crook of tree branches, he thought he saw more movement out of the corner of his eye. He grabbed the binoculars and ascertained that something was indeed happening at the Greave ranch. Two men had left the house and were heading quickly for the barn. The Kid stiffened in dire anticipation. This did not bode well for Heyes. In a moment, the boy who had entered earlier could be seen being manhandled by one of the men and thrown on the ground in the yard. The plate and cup were thrown at him. Apparently the simple kindness of breakfast for their captive was unacceptable to the Greave Brothers.

And their sadism was no longer acceptable to Kid Curry.

No matter what his partner had asked of him, the Kid could no longer sit by and watch him being treated cruelly. He checked his gun, grabbed his hat, and started on foot for the barn. He resembled a cat as he moved quickly through the brush and made sure to keep from being spotted.

Halfway there he stopped abruptly as he sighted Heyes himself being led from the barn. Surprisingly, he was no longer tied up, but was surrounded by two of the brothers and their guns. One brother was also carrying an axe! The boy was gone. The brothers led Heyes behind the barn. He was no longer visible to the Kid, who suddenly felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He quickened his pace toward the barn.

Just before the scene came into his sight, he heard a couple whacks of the axe! Gun drawn and heart pounding, he hurried through the brush and spotted Heyes using the axe to split logs! His ankle was chained to a tree. The Greaves were sitting on logs nearby watching him, guns pointed at their captive and liquor bottles handy. The Greaves had spread out a checker game and were laughing, and the Kid's relief was so profound that he felt like laughing, also. He positioned himself behind a tree to watch without being observed and tried to understand what was happening. At first he was confused; then it slowly dawned on him that Heyes was being used to do the work that the brothers were expected to do!

In one way this was good. This made Heyes valuable to the family, valuable enough to keep him around rather than kill him. But the Kid was worried about his partner; Heyes had been beaten and still had blood on his clothes. His wounds had obviously not been tended to properly and the Kid knew that he hadn't had the time to eat the entire breakfast brought him by the boy. There was no question that the Kid could overtake the two Greave brothers with very little effort and rescue his partner. But Heyes had asked him to wait. What had he said again? He was actually _needed_ there?! Surely he didn't mean to split wood?!

The Kid leaned as comfortably as possible against the tree and waited. He listened to the nonsense espoused by the Greave brothers as they steadily worked toward getting drunk. Heyes said very little to them. The Kid tried to move into a more comfortable position at one point and one of the brothers apparently heard him and looked up. Standing perfectly still and holding his breath, the Kid watched as the brother first looked around, then rose to his feet and walked in his general direction.

"Wassup?" asked the brother still sitting.

"Dunno. Thought I heard something."

"Aw, you're always hearin' something. Siddown. S'your move."

"Nah, I'm sure I heard something."

"Siddown, I said!" The sitting brother tripped the standing brother, who fell flat on his face. In the process, the gun he was holding went flying and the whiskey bottle he was holding in the other hand broke.

"You jackass! Now you done it!" He jumped up, rather quickly for a man drunk early in the morning, and made a lunge for the throat of his brother. Both fell backward over the log, and a fight ensued. By this time, both were unarmed as their guns were lying on the ground. The Kid made a move to grab the guns but wisely took a look at his partner first. Heyes, always alert, knew he was there and shook his head to indicate leaving the guns alone. The Kid stepped back in position behind the tree and both of them watched the fight with grins on their faces. One of the brothers picked up the guns and the broken whiskey bottle and threatened to cut the throat of the other, who went running for the house. The bottle-armed brother followed close on his heels.

With the realization that they were suddenly alone, the Kid approached Heyes. "You look like you need some fixing up, Heyes. I don't think you got much to eat, either, did you?"

"No, they don't give me much food," said Heyes sheepishly. "I'm the family dog, I guess. The old one ran away if he had half a brain. Like those two!"

"They won't be back for a while."

"That was your introduction to Scratch and Harl."

"And here's your chance to get away." Again the Kid made a move to help Heyes escape his situation, but again Heyes stopped him.

"No Kid! I told you - there's something I need to do here first."

"What could possibly . . ." Before he could finish his sentence, they both heard someone approaching. Heyes shushed his partner, and the Kid quickly hid himself behind the tree again.

In a moment, the boy the Kid had seen earlier entered and kneeled down by Heyes.

"What are you doing here, Toby?" Heyes asked gently. "Your brothers told you to keep away from me."

"They're workin' at killin' each other behind the house. Only work they ever done. And RayBob's still sleepin' off last night. He'll be out for hours. Here, I brought you some cold beef. And a fresh - made biscuit." True to his word, he handed the food to Heyes, who took it greedily.

Between bites, Heyes talked soothingly to Toby. "Thanks. You got a lot of heart, Toby. How come you're my guardian angel?"

Toby blushed and looked away. "Dunno. Guess I don't like sometimes things they do."

Heyes employed as much tact as he could muster and spoke as delicately as he could. "You're different from them, aren't you, Toby? And you know it, too, don't you?"

Toby looked at the ground. "I guess."

"Are you a real Greave, or are you just someone they keep around as a whipping boy, like me?"

Behind the tree, the Kid involuntarily started at the meaning of these words. He gave the tree a small punch.

But Toby did not hear him. "I'm a real Greave," he said. "Leota's my ma's ma."

Heyes was surprised. "So who's your pa, then?"

Toby looked off in the distance, seeing nothing. "Dunno. Never met him. My ma is the Greave. She's sister to RayBob. And Scratch and Harl."

Heyes chewed on the hard biscuit. "What's your ma's name?"

"Annie."

"Where's she?"

Toby stood suddenly, his mood visibly changed. "Don't matter none. She ain't here. I gotta go 'fore Leota knows I'm gone. She'd skin me for feedin' you." He turned and ran back to the house.

"Wait!" called Heyes. But Toby was gone.

The Kid emerged from his simple hiding place and knelt down by his partner. "What was that all about?"

"The boy," said Heyes. "He's different from those animals. Reminds me of us when we were young." He looked seriously at the Kid.

"Why's he helping you?"

"I think I know but I'm not sure." Heyes tried to get comfortable on the hard ground. He groaned as he moved; most of his wounds were still fresh. "Damn them!" he whispered.

The Kid used his neckerchief to gently dab at Heyes's forehead and shoulder, places where dried blood was still visible. "You gonna make it?" he asked quietly. "We can leave right now. No one's watching you."

Heyes sighed. "No, Kid, I gotta stay."

The Kid sat back down on the ground. His voice was steady. "All right, I think it's time you told me why."

They gave each other a long look. Then Heyes shook his head. "Thanks for caring, Kid," he said, trying to hide his feelings. "But just give me one more day. Then I promise . . ."

"One more day? Are you going to_ live _ through one more day? What do you think those idiots are going to do when they're tired of beating up on each other? They're going after you, that's what! And from the looks of the blood of you, there's not much more you can take."

"I'll be all right. They just want me to do their work, that's all."

"Tell me why I should let you stay one more day." The frustration was apparent in the Kid's voice.

"Kid, the only reason I can't tell you is because I'm afraid you'll get me out of here too early. You mean well. It's not that I don't trust you . . ."

"Too early for what? For God's sakes, just tell me!"

Heyes sighed again. "No. No, trust me. Just give me this one more day. Come for me tonight, Kid. I'll leave with you tonight, no matter what. I promise."

Heyes's look was so imploring that the Kid felt himself softening. He backed down in spite of his promise to himself. He knew Heyes had won this argument; he would have to allow his partner to do what he wanted. "But tonight you are leaving with me, whether you want to or not."

Heyes gave him a little smile. "I promise. Now go. Go before they find you here. If anyone suspects you've been coming here, it would ruin everything. Go!"

"You'll leave with me tonight. Your word!"

"You have my word, Kid."

The Kid jumped up immediately, a response based on trust. Trust that was learned in many years of rewarding partnership. Before leaving the clearing, he turned back. "This is the last day," he reminded in parting, lingering for one last look.

"I'll be all right. Now go." Heyes offered a small reassuring nod of his head and sweetly smiled as the Kid turned and left through the woods.

Heyes watched his partner longingly until he was out of sight. Then he once again picked up his axe and began chopping wood for the Greaves, hoping to live through the day.

* * *

At first Kid Curry was unsure what to do with himself. He knew he could not stay near the ranch for fear of being detected, but he did not know where to go. After mounting up, he at first turned back toward the town where he had encountered the Sheriff, but soon turned his horse's head in the opposite direction. There would have to be a town that way as well, he reasoned. Perhaps some diversion there could get his mind off his suffering friend. Heyes could be maddening! Why would he choose to suffer? Leaving Heyes behind was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do, but he felt better when reminding himself that he would extricate Heyes from his captivity soon.

His thought pattern see - sawed between the unnecessary torment of his partner and his triumphant rescue of him later. One depressed him and the other made him feel good. Unfortunately, he found that he could not concentrate on the positive one. Every time he tried to do so, the daunting image of an injured Heyes tied up in the barn or chained to the tree broke through to haunt him. The smile that Heyes had tried to produce for him to show that everything was under control, the bruises and blood on his battered body, his torn clothes, the unwillingness of his captors to give him food - these images returned to the Kid repeatedly. On more than one occasion he thought seriously about turning his horse around and heading back to rescue Heyes then and there! Only his partner's entreaties to wait and assurances that he would be all right stopped the Kid from doing so.

But he was right - there was a town further on, about equidistant from the Greave ranch as the other town. By the time he arrived there, his mind was full of vengeful tactics he could use against the Greaves. He knew he had to kill some time until late night, so he reined up at a lively - looking saloon. He avoided a poker game going on in the back and gravitated toward the crowded bar area. He ordered a plate of beef and potatoes with his beer and worked his way into conversation with the men around him. Kid Curry had learned many things from his partner Hannibal Heyes, and one of them was the best way to glean information. Start the conversation and then keep your mouth shut - you learn a lot more when you're not talking.

This time the Kid didn't solicit help, just posed a few questions and listened intently to the answers. What he learned wasn't good. Everyone in this town was also aware of the Greaves' existence, and everyone in this town also seemed to be afraid of them. Some of what he heard was redundant - the Greaves were from the hills well east of here, they were crazy, they didn't come into town often but when they did they were avoided at all costs. The bartender got involved in the conversation and informed the Kid that he had been beaten severely a few months ago as a result of trying to remove one of the Greaves from his saloon. Another man was visibly upset about his brother-in-law who had gone missing after a run-in with the Greave brothers. They were well-armed and uneducated and hedonistic, apparently. They were not of any decent society. The word 'animals' was used repeatedly. He heard 'monsters' once and had trouble concentrating on the rest of the sentence.

None of this boded well for Heyes, and the more the Kid heard, the more anxious he became. He finished his lunch and paid his bill and wandered down the street to a different saloon. There he met with much the same attitude - no one wanted anything to do with the Greaves, everyone thought they were vicious animals, etc. The word 'devils' came up often. The Kid was becoming more and more fearful of his partner's safety and abandoned his own for the time being by paying a visit to the local Sheriff. He learned a bit more there than he had from the other Sheriff. Old Lady Greave had three sons and a daughter: RayBob, Scratch, Harl and Annie. Annie had a son named Toby, who was around the age of fourteen, father unknown, the Sheriff guessed even to Annie. The Sheriff didn't know much about Annie or Toby as they were never seen in town. But the three older brothers, as well as Leota, the matriarch, occasionally made an appearance. They were gruff and violent and most civilized people avoided them or locked their businesses when they were seen approaching.

"Are you aware of any laws they've broken, Sheriff?" asked the Kid.

"The bartender at Ferguson's says he was beaten unconscious by a couple of the brothers a while back. No one witnessed it but everyone believes him."

"Did you arrest them?"

"I didn't see it," said the Sheriff testily.

"And if you had . . . ?"

"I would've asked them to leave town and hoped for the best." When the Sheriff saw the Kid raise a questioning eyebrow, he explained further. "Civilized people don't get involved with the Greaves' kind of wickedness. I don't go asking for trouble and I don't take no posse with me to get killed, neither."

The Kid didn't miss a beat. "There's word that men have disappeared after getting involved with the Greaves."

"I've heard that."

"Do you believe it?"

The Sheriff looked hard at the Kid, then walked to the door and opened it. "You better leave now, Mister. I've got no more to say to you."

Kid Curry recognized he wasn't going to get anywhere with this conversation, so he left wordlessly. Somewhat satisfied with the plans forming in his mind, he no longer wanted the help of the Sheriff or anyone else. His fervent hope now was that the time would pass quickly until nightfall so his worrying wouldn't eat at his insides.

But the time did not pass quickly.

Kid Curry knew he had no one in his life who cared about him except for Hannibal Heyes. And the feelings he had for his partner were mutual. Since they had been together all their lives, that caring went very deep. It would have been unthinkable to him for Heyes to have succumbed to a troupe of people commonly thought of as wild animals, monsters or devils. His friend had already been beaten and chained and used for manual labor even though his weakened body wasn't to up to the task. The Kid had witnessed all this firsthand as well as the selfish and violent behavior of these primitive people. He tried to relax with a cigar on the hotel porch, he tried to pass the time at the mercantile by scanning books, he grabbed a beer at another saloon. But the time did not pass for him. Kid Curry was afraid.

There was an enemy out there waiting for him, but it was nothing compared to the enemy he was facing now. His agreement with Heyes's request to wait until dark provided a continuous source of tension for him. Inactivity. Doing nothing to help his partner gnawed at his insides and caused him trepidations that he wasn't familiar with and didn't like. He was a man of action. His fear for Heyes was real and warranted, he knew, and he felt useless and irresponsible simply sitting around waiting for the time to pass. He tried to think pleasant thoughts but couldn't conjure them. The restlessness grabbed hold of him and shook him to the core.

He _had_ to do something.

The sun was still fairly high in the sky when Kid Curry set out at a gallop for the Greave ranch.

By the time he arrived, the sun was still light enough to see by. Or be seen by.

Tying his horse's reins to the same familiar tree and making sure there was no one around to see him, the Kid once again hiked stealthily through the woods surrounding the Greave spread. Remembering Heyes's earlier plight, he had slung his canteen around his neck and filled his pockets with snacks. His gunbelt and gun were fully loaded.

Arriving at the barn, he paused for a moment to listen. There was no sound coming from inside the barn. Conversation could, however, be heard emanating from the house. He took a step toward the open barn doorway, then froze as he suddenly heard the speaker inside the house raise her voice.

It had to be Leota, the matriarch. "Hellfire and damnation, Toad! Just who do you think you're talking to? I'm the one feeds you and puts clothes on your sorry back. I'm the one keeps you out of them jails. I'm the one brought you into this world and by God, I can take you out! You think twice before you talk to me that way again!"

The Kid heard groaning, a male voice, and then the sickening sound of a fist sinking into flesh, followed by a man's cry of pain. As much as he hated the Greave brothers, the Kid momentarily felt pity for them. With a mother like that, no wonder they turned out the way they did. Why did they not fight back? Why did they simply not leave? He knew the answer to the last question, anyhow - no one wanted them.

Still, a verbal and physical attack were not enough for Leota. The Kid stood still, plastered against the side of the barn, and listened to her latest tirade. "You're the sorriest lot of boys any mother ever bore! And you, Toby! You're no good, neither. No wonder your worthless ma left! What God in Heaven would ever strike me down this way? None o' you can't do a lick o' work. You're all stupid as hell's all get - out. You can't do nothin' without no complainin'. If you wasn't my own flesh, I'd a soon shoot you all down as look at you!"

The Kid figured she would continue in that vein for a while yet, so he cautiously began once again to step inside the barn. "Heyes!" he whispered.

There was no answer. He froze for a moment, allowing his eyes to adjust to the limited light. Leota continued ranting loudly. The Kid also heard the sound of men's voices sassing back and things being thrown, but he paid little attention until he heard her say, "That Smith was a damn sight better man than any o' you! It's a damn good thing you killed him or I would be out there right now, handin' him the axe to take to the four o' you!"

The Kid sucked in his breath. Killed! He knew he had heard correctly. Forgetting everything else, he ran into the barn and looked wildly around for Heyes. He pushed aside hay and tools and ropes in his frantic effort to find his friend. Nothing. "Heyes! Heyes!" he whispered anxiously. Still no answer. Shaking, he lit a match for a better view. Heyes was clearly not in the barn, but there was fresh blood on the floor, mixed with the hay and debris.

No! The Kid suddenly felt weak and leaned against the wall for support. They killed him! Heyes is dead!

But where was the body? Where was Heyes?

Kid Curry did his best to pull himself together. Trying to think logically like his partner would, he considered what his next steps should be. His instinct told him to rush the house and shoot down every single one of the Greaves. But he knew Heyes would not want him to do that. Heyes would want him to escape unharmed. Heyes cared about him. Heyes . . .

Where was Heyes? Where was the body? Enough of the revenge thinking, it was time to take action! Revenge could - would - come later.

Shuddering, the Kid lit another match and leaned close to examine the blood. It appeared that there had been some kind of struggle. There was a large amount of blood in one area and a smaller amount by the barn entrance. On closer examination, he realized that the blood left the barn in a kind of trail. Giving only a cursory glance to the house and completely ignoring the quarreling, he stole quickly out of the barn in the direction the blood trail led him.

At first he had no trouble following the blood into the woods, but before long the dark red drops almost disappeared. He gladly recognized that there was more than blood that was leaving a trail - someone or something had been carried and he thought he knew what. There were heavy footprints made by a couple of men whose heels dug into the ground deeper than normal since they were bearing extra weight. As he advanced further away from the house, he also began to notice a third set of footprints, slightly smaller and not as deep. The occasional drop of blood reassured him that he was heading in the right direction through the woods. But there was nothing else reassuring to the Kid. He surmised that the deeper footprints were made by two men who had carried Heyes's body to dispose of it, and the smaller set was probably Leota, the mother of those fiends, ranting at them the whole time to make sure they did it correctly. The Kid was having trouble thinking clearly as his emotional state was in turmoil. As a gunfighter, he had always found his thoughts to be sharp and focused when an emergency situation presented itself. But now his beloved friend had been killed and he was in pursuit of the body to provide for a civilized burial, a situation he found close to intolerable. He fluctuated between rage and grief and had to keep telling himself to focus on the task at hand.

He abandoned caution in his haste and occasionally tripped or stumbled over branches. But Kid Curry was an excellent tracker and always managed to pick up the trail when he temporarily lost sight of it. He ignored other footprints he regularly saw that were headed in the opposite direction. The Kid knew these had to be the Greave boys returning to the house after disposing of the body in the woods. When his grief gave way to rage, he envisioned himself returning to that very house to single - handedly dispatch the entire Greave family. When his rage gave way to grief, he found the trail blurred by tears. Neither emotion was acceptable to the Kid at this point, and several times he stopped and leaned against a tree for support in order to clear his head before starting out again.

The Greave boys had traveled several hundred yards through the woods to dispose of the body. Indications of blood had long since disappeared and the Kid had been following only the footprints for some time. He was beginning to seriously wonder how much further he would have to travel when he noticed something unusual in a small clearing. A number of footprints were congregated in the area and were circled around a flattened spot in the grass. Clearly someone or something heavy had been lying there and the Greave footprints had surrounded it. But there was nothing lying there now! And the footprints did not go any further. In fact, this is the point at which they began their return to the Greave ranch.

If it had been Heyes's body that had made the impression in the grass, where was it? A dead body certainly didn't just get up and walk away. Even if the Kid had wanted to believe that, the footprints told him otherwise. But there simply wasn't anything there. The denseness of the trees made it difficult for the Kid to see clearly. He knelt down for a better view. He was right - something had been lying on the ground and had weighed enough to make an impression in the grass. All around it were the footprints of the two Greave Brothers and the smaller prints that Leota made. And all three sets of prints then headed back to the ranch, obviously not carrying anything heavy anymore.

But where was Heyes's body? Or whatever it was that had been lying there?

In addition to his grief and his anger, the Kid now experienced confusion. This was an odious task to begin with, and now grief was piled on top of grief. He sat on the ground and sighed. He didn't want to be there, in the middle of the woods looking for the body of the person he was closest to in all the world. He wanted to be somewhere civilized, with a beer in his hand in a steak in front of him and Heyes across the table . . .

He sighed again. That wouldn't happen anymore.

Kid Curry said on the ground for a few minutes, feeling sorry for himself and wishing for all the world that he could undo the last couple of days. While he was deep in thought, he suddenly realized that he was staring right at the answer to his question! His eyes focused on a small opening in the trees off the clearing, and closer examination indicated that the small set of footprints - only - headed for that gap. It was barely visible but it was there - another set of footprints, small ones, a print here and a print there. The Kid thought about it for a minute, then realized what must have happened. Leota had dragged the body away from this spot to further cover deeper in the woods. She had then attempted to cover these tracks by rubbing branches and leaves over them until the tracks all but disappeared. This set of prints was barely visible, but the Kid still scolded himself for almost missing them.

Hope - and dread - renewed, the Kid slowly advanced through the trees, following as best he could the new almost totally obscured tracks. He didn't have far to go. He made sudden contact with a large object lying on the ground, but managed to keep his feet. He had tripped over a dark - colored horse blanket, almost invisible in the limited light. It was sheer luck that caused him to find it. When he lifted the blanket, underneath was Heyes!

Time stood still as Kid Curry frantically threw aside the blanket and knelt down to feel for a pulse. Then, with his fingertips just gracing his partner's wrist, he stopped. He could not bring himself to grip that wrist and feel for that pulse he knew he would not find. He looked at the closed eyes and the grimace of pain on his partner's face. He allowed himself the luxury of a sweet memory or two before he carried out his horrible task. Tears filled his eyes again and threatened to fall.

In a moment, reason prevailed. He had found what he was seeking, and there's only one more thing to do before returning Heyes to civilization for a decent burial. He steeled himself and gripped his friend's wrist in earnest, looking for that pulse.

There _was _a pulse! The wrist was warm! Heyes was alive!

He was alive! The Kid almost shouted in surprise and joy, but the words caught in his throat. He moved closer and quickly scanned his friend's body. There was blood on Heyes's chest, but that appeared to be the only new wound. Heyes was unconscious but by holding his ear close to his partner's nose, the Kid could detect faint breathing. Alive! Now the tears did begin to fall. Unashamed, Kid curry buried his face in his partner's jacket for a moment to gather himself together. Those sweet memories came to his mind again and he reveled in tenderness before moving on. So certain that he would find his dearest friend dead, the Kid was overcome with the joy of the moment, and the release was overpowering.

In a minute he was able to function again. His mind was now cleared of the dread that had directed it recently, and he once again became the saturnine straight-thinking gunfighter. He would not have to avenge Heyes's death, but Heyes had been beaten, chained, and . . . and what? Revenge was still necessary, but for what? The Kid opened the panels of Heyes's jacket to see what had caused the wound responsible for all the blood.

What Kid Curry saw stunned him. A large piece of cloth, which appeared to be part of an old bed sheet, was wrapped around Heyes's chest. The Kid felt around back and came to the conclusion that the cloth had been wrapped haphazardly a couple of turns. This makeshift tourniquet had managed to stem the flow of blood, although it was stained red at the shoulder area in front, and also in the back. Heyes had obviously been shot and the bullet had hit some sort of large blood vessel. But the good news was that the bullet had exited. Someone had taken the trouble to make sure that Heyes would not die, if at all possible. Who? Now resting assured that his partner would live, the Kid started scouring the area. A jug of moonshine had been left nearby. The Kid removed the cork and sniffed. It wasn't moonshine, it was water. So someone had bandaged Heyes and left him water to quench his thirst.

Someone had intended to kill Heyes, but had then tended to his wounds. But who? And why?

Leota's prints had been there. So it was Leota who had bandaged Heyes and brought him water. But why would she do that? She was a little spitfire, but maybe she was really afraid of her disagreeable sons, and was trying to help Heyes so he could save her. Maybe . . .

Or maybe it was Raybob, Scratch or Harl, one of the brothers themselves. Maybe . . .

Maybe Toby? His prints would be smaller, and Toby had been known to bring food to Heyes. Maybe those weren't even Leota's prints. Toby might have tried to save his life. Or Toby might have been responsible for the bullet wound. Was he responsible for the beatings? The Kid thought back to the conversation he had overheard in the barn. 'I don't like sometimes things they do.' The Greave Brothers were known for their inhumane treatment of people. Did this mean Toby didn't like the way they were treating Heyes? Or did it mean that he felt they were being too _lenient_? Kid curry dismissed this idea from his mind because the kid just _looked _innocent.

Or was there someone else involved?

All of these thoughts crossed the Kid's mind in just a few seconds. He didn't like unsolved mysteries, especially where he and his partner were involved, but there was a much more immediate mystery that still had to be solved - why did Heyes want to stay so long that he ended up almost getting killed?

This thought grounded the Kid and brought him back to reality. Hannibal Heyes was believed dead by one or all of the Greaves, and he might truly be dying right now. He needed a doctor, he needed to get back to civilization. He needed the Kid.

This is the thought that instantly mobilized Kid Curry, true friend of Hannibal Heyes. After checking under and replacing the tourniquet, the Kid decided that it was safe for Heyes to ride. He moved quickly through the forest to retrieve his horse. When he returned to the clearing, Heyes was still completely unconscious. The Kid gently lifted Heyes from the ground, trying as best he could to stay clear of the wounded shoulder area. It was a very difficult task for several reasons - Heyes weighed almost as much as the Kid, who wasn't used to lifting this kind of weight, and of course Heyes could offer no assistance. But somehow Kid Curry was able to drape his partner over the saddle in a position that would offer at least a small amount of comfort. To make sure Heyes wasn't injured further, the Kid rummaged through his saddlebag for clothing he could use as buffers under Heyes's shoulder, and shirts he could use to tie his partner's hands and feet to the saddle so he wouldn't slip off. When the Kid stepped back to examine his job, he realized that he had tied a shirt sleeve in the same raw area of the ankle where Heyes had been chained to the tree. This would no doubt cause pain. "Sorry, buddy," whispered the Kid as he removed that one tie, hoping Heyes was still secured to the horse.

As he led his animal slowly through the forest, looking back every few feet to make sure Heyes was still all right, the thought that he may have been too late to save his partner's life continued to plague him. After all the surveillance, and all the tracking, and even all the arguing with Heyes, he may still have been too late. This thought was intolerable, like many of the others he'd had lately, and the Kid had to force himself to think clearly in order to get to town as quickly and safely as possible.

Heyes's bullet wound had not been life - threatening, the doctor said. There was a large loss of blood, but he was strong enough to withstand it. When the bullet hit him, he had most likely fainted from the combined pain of all his other wounds. From the beatings he had withstood . . .

"Cheer up," said the doctor after a quick glance at Kid Curry. "You pat yourself on the back because you did save his life. If he was still lying on the damp ground with no one to take care him, he'd be dead by now."

Heyes was going to live, and there was comfort in that. But Heyes had been tormented, and his suffering had to be avenged. In his own life, the Kid had been beaten several times, and he knew the pain it could cause. He couldn't imagine being shot in addition, or especially being forced to do manual labor after the beating! His heart went out to his partner. Revenge or no revenge, the Kid planted himself in the chair at Heyes's bedside to wait for his partner to wake up. He wanted to be the one to tell Heyes his ordeal was over and he wasn't alone anymore.

But the good doctor would have none of it. He insisted that the Kid take a room at the hotel to rest. No place for him to stay at the doctor's house, and in that chair he'd just be in the way. "Besides," said the doctor, "you look almost as bad as my patient. Stop worrying. Get some rest." The Kid would only acquiesce with a promise from the doctor that he be fetched, no matter what time, as soon as Heyes opened his eyes. Done.

* * *

It was a couple of hours after dawn when Kid Curry was awakened suddenly from a fitful sleep by a knock on his hotel room door. He quickly grabbed his gun and ran to open the door. Expecting the doctor, the Kid was surprised to see a middle - aged woman in the hallway. She was breathing hard, as if she'd been running.

"I'm Doc Traynor's wife," she said between breaths. "My husband wanted me to let you know that your friend is awake now and he's going to be all right." She said more, but the Kid was so grateful to hear that Heyes would live that nothing else registered with him. He felt the welcome sensation of a big weight being lifted from his heart and resisted the temptation to laugh or cry or both in front of her. In a moment he realized he was being rude as she turned to leave.

"Wait! I'll go with you. I'll walk you back." He was already partially dressed, and a quick donning of his shirt and boots were all he took the time for in his hasty desire to see his partner. His jacket and gunbelt were slung carelessly over his shoulder and he started out with her for the short walk back to the doctor's house.

On the way, they chatted amiably, mostly about Heyes. She told the Kid that Heyes was feeling better. She recounted the sleepless night she and her husband had spent in the care of their patient. She told the Kid how restless Heyes had been, and that he had been confused upon awakening. The first thing he said was to inquire about 'my friend.' The Kid smiled in spite of himself. "What else did he say?" he asked.

"He asked me to send a telegram. I did that right before I fetched you."

A telegram? Who to? The Kid wondered briefly about that but was so caught up in his euphoria that he soon forgot about it.

When they reached the house, he wanted to bolt in but held the door for her instead. After all, she had brought him the good news and there was no immediacy now except in his own heart. Once inside, he made a beeline for Heyes.

The patient spoke first. "Hey," he said with a smile.

"You OK?"

"Yeah. I'll be all right."

This was just what the Kid had been waiting to hear. He opened his mouth to reply but no words would come out. Again he felt a wave of emotion wash over him. Not wishing to appear weak, he looked away. It was a tender moment, and both were only vaguely aware that the doctor and his wife excused themselves to get some sleep. The Kid heard "Get me if you need me" but only grunted in reply.

When he recovered his senses, he sighed and sat down next to the bed. "What happened?" he asked gently.

"Kid, let me just look at you . . ." Heyes never lost his smile, but it became strained and his voice dropped to a whisper. "It was a rifle. At close range, I think."

The Kid closed his eyes at the barbarism and the pain this must have caused. He wasn't aware his hands had rolled into fists. But Heyes saw and tried to comfort him. "It's all right, Kid. Made the bullet go through. Probably saved my life. I feel . . . fine . . . now. Doc's got me doped up."

The Kid took a deep slow breath. "_Why_ did they try to kill you? You were doing their work!"

The smile started disappearing. "Dunno, Kid. Maybe it's the only thing they do well. Toby told me they've killed other men. Made them work and then got tired of them, I guess. I knew it was coming, just hoped it would be later rather than sooner."

This was no longer tolerable. The Kid jumped to his feet, knocking over the chair. He paced the room for a minute while his friend watched him with concern. Heyes's observations were acute as he watched the Kid's body slowly change from a stance of anger and helplessness to one of dramatic purpose. He was not surprised when the Kid spoke, his voice low and intense and his words well - chosen. "I have to do something. They can't get away with this."

"I know, Kid. But I wish you wouldn't."

"There' s no choice . . ."

"I mean, until I can go with you."

* * *

A few days' rest, the doctor cautioned, the first of which was spent at his place. Heyes spent the second day in the hotel room he shared with the Kid, having food brought to him. By the third day, he was able to walk to the restaurant and spent the day sitting outside on the hotel porch.

Heyes appeared to be concentrating on getting better, following the doctor's instructions to the letter and resting for the most part. He often requested favors of his partner, at least until the Kid caught on to the fact that Heyes was merely trying to divert him from the idea of revenge. During these days Heyes received a telegram that he would not discuss, but otherwise nothing untoward happened. His wounds were healing nicely and he was getting stronger. A certain amount of conversation was devoted to the subject of the Greaves in general, and the abuse Heyes had undergone at their hands. He seemed reluctant to talk about it, which the Kid understood due to the painful memories these conversations must have caused. But the Kid wanted as much information as possible so his plans for revenge would be satisfactory. He discovered, through much probing, that most of the physical injuries had been inflicted by Raybob, usually at the urging of Leota. Harl and Scratch did little in general other than order Heyes around. Toby, the boy, was also mistreated even though he was a family member. The Kid didn't notice it, but Heyes's voice got gentler when he spoke of Toby. The Greaves bullied anyone they thought was weaker than them, apparently. _But not me, _thought the Kid. _They have to answer to me._

Yes, he can ride, said the doctor on the fourth day.

"You don't have to," the Kid told Heyes in their hotel room. "I'm going now and I should be back by late afternoon. That accursed ranch is only a couple of hours from here. You can rest all day if you want to."

"You think I can relax if you go out there? I'm coming with you, I said." Heyes had been waiting for days for this conversation and he was ready for it. "You're not going back there alone."

"I can handle myself. And the shape you're in, you'd only get in the way." The Kid was a bit surprised. "You don't really think those drunken idiots are any match for me, do you?"

"That's not the point, Kid." Heyes took a deep breath.

The Kid waited. "All right, so what's the point?"

"You've been talking about nothing except revenge the whole time. Without me along, you'd just march in there and flatten everyone you come in contact with. You need the voice of reason along."

Kid Curry hesitated and pulled up a chair, sitting with its back in front of him. "First of all, Heyes, I'm not going to just 'march in there and flatten everyone.' You know that's not my style. It'll be a fair fight. But what surprises me is your attitude. You went through hell with those people, and now you don't seem to want me to . . . are you afraid?"

A small voice. "No."

"Maybe you're afraid for me. Is that it - you're afraid something will happen? Because you know damn well I can take care of myself!"

"No." Still a small voice.

The Kid sighed. When he spoke again, it was practically a whisper. "All right, Heyes, I've been patient with you through this whole thing. You've kept secrets from me, you've refused to talk, on and on. I've been patient until I want to scream. I understand. You got a bullet through your chest, you got hit on the head, you've been beaten, starved, God knows what-all else they've done to you. It's hard for you to talk about. But the time has come for me to do something about all those things. I can't let them get away with what they did to you. And if you were in your right head, you'd agree with me. The Greaves have to pay!" This last sentence was voiced loudly.

But Heyes's voice was still small. "You want revenge, Kid."

"Damn right I want revenge! And you should want it, too!"

"You could turn the other cheek, you know."

The Kid hesitated, unsure if he was hearing his partner correctly. "Turn the other cheek. Turn the other cheek? We're talking about the devils who tried to kill you and almost succeeded!"

"You can't just march in there and kill everyone who draws on you . . ."

"The hell I can't!"

"Just give me one more day."

"Oh, no! Not that again!"

"Not everyone is guilty, Kid."

The Kid just stared at his partner for a moment, then stood and reached for his gunbelt.

"Wait, Kid. There's something you should see." Heyes pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and held it out.

"You coming or not? If you are, stay out of the way. Today I'm not a merciful man."

Heyes held the paper for the Kid to see but sighed and put it back in his pocket when the Kid continued to avoid looking at it. "I'm coming, I said," was the last thing Heyes said as they headed out the door.

* * *

Kid Curry wasn't sure if he was glad Hannibal Heyes was accompanying him on this journey or not. On the one hand, Heyes would be next to useless in a gunfight and might even prove a liability. But from what he'd seen of the Greave boys, they were basically drunken cowards and didn't pose much of a threat. On the other hand, he would enjoy flaunting Heyes in front of the family before he wiped them out. He wanted them to know exactly why they were being challenged, that they were in fact responsible for their actions. And that there were grave consequences.

They rode in silence, and as they rode, the Kid's attitude softened. The closer he came to the Greave ranch, the less murderous he felt. During the last few days, Heyes had told him a number of things, more with silence than words.

* * *

The last thing he said - not everyone is guilty - stuck in the Kid's craw. In his heart he knew this was true. Raybob Greave had been the one to inflict the most pain on Heyes and he should have to pay for that. Heyes wasn't sure who had actually shot him but most likely it had been Raybob, also. Harl and Scratch had been responsible for chaining him and taunting him but those were lesser crimes. Toby had actually brought Heyes food, so he should be spared. Leota, on the other hand, she was the instigator. She was full of hate and anger and egged on her boys to do despicable things. Even though she kept her own hands clean, she was the most guilty of them all. Or was she?

The Kid wondered if he would be able to kill a woman. He figured if she attacked him first, it would be easier. He would try to get her to attack him so he would be justified. Or maybe he should just deliver her to the law. Maybe the best thing to do would be to deliver all of them to the law. The law in the second town would be the best - the Sheriff in that first town was obviously too afraid of them to even keep them locked up.

As they rode, Heyes kept quiet and occasionally cast a glance in his partner's direction. He knew the Kid so well that he believed he could follow the sequence of thoughts in the Kid's mind. He hoped he was right that his friend was losing his desire to kill. Things weren't going as Heyes had hoped – he had needed that extra day. This was not how he had envisioned himself returning to the Greave ranch.

The first words spoken between them occurred at the point where the Kid announced they'd have to dismount and walk from there. The Kid was surprisingly gentle when he helped Heyes down from his horse and showed him where he had camped those first couple of nights. There was one more thing he wanted to do before starting for the household.

They walked through the woods for a short while, the Kid pushing aside the brush when necessary to make Heyes's going easier. Finally he stopped and pointed to a spot on the ground.

"This is where I found you," said the Kid. "You can still see the blood on the ground. After you were shot, they dragged you here from the house. Then someone or something dragged you further into the woods – right here. And someone took the trouble to bandage you. I know this is hard, but – do you remember any of this?"

The expression on Heyes's face was strained as he looked at the ground and then at his partner. He shook his head. "Maybe that's a good thing," he said quietly.

"Yeah." The Kid sighed. "Come on, let's get this over with." He gave Heyes a gentle shove but avoided putting his arm around him. The scene where Heyes had been laid to die had brought back some of the murderous impulses and he did not want them to wane. Although it was in his nature to be forgiving, today he did not want this tendency to take over. His closest friend had been badly mistreated and almost died, and someone had to pay. 'Today I'm not a merciful man,' he repeated to himself. 'Not today.'

The going was tough for Heyes through the woods, but soon they reached the back of the barn. Heyes leaned against it for support and they both listened to the usual bickering they could hear emanating from the house.

The Kid checked his gun and replaced it in the holster. He looked at Heyes, conviction in his eyes. "You don't need to go any further. You'll be safe here."

Heyes shook his head. "No, Kid, I have to go inside. Just like you, but for a different reason. Listen, Kid, there's something you should know."

The sound of an item crashing inside the house diverted their attention. Kid Curry's body instantly became all business, gunfighter business.

"Kid?"

In a moment, the Kid relaxed. "All right, what?"

"It's Toby, the kid. He's not involved in any of this."

"I know he fed you, Heyes, but he's one of them. He's involved." The Kid started moving around the barn, inching toward the house.

"No, Kid, listen to me. I think he might have been the one who moved me when they thought I was dead. I think he was trying to save my life. I spent some time talking to him, before they shot me . . ."

Kid Curry continued moving away from Hannibal Heyes. He was no longer listening. "Stay here!" he whispered as he made a break for the house, plastering himself alongside the front door.

Dismayed, Heyes watched him closely. When the Kid glanced back at him, he shrugged and mouthed the words _You don't have to do this!_

The Kid shook his head. His intention was clear.

Heyes knew he had to back his partner but could not shake the feeling of doom as he generated his last spurt of energy to quickly cross the yard to the house. He watched anxiously as the Kid kicked the door open and bounded into the room. He heard two shots, as well as yelling and a woman screaming obscenities. He was weak and it seemed to take forever for him to reach the open doorway, but when he did, he was suddenly afraid to enter. From a safe vantage point outside, Heyes took a moment to partially catch his breath, then cautiously peeked inside the house.

He was met with an astonishing sight. In the short time it took him to cross the yard, a great deal had happened. Heyes saw RayBob lying in the middle of the room, apparently dead, his smoking gun still in his hand. Leota, Scratch and Harl were sitting on their hands on the floor. Leota was swearing at the Kid, not as upset about her son's death as much as having to sit still at the Kid's whim. A couple of guns were lying near the Kid's feet and Scratch and Harl were staring longingly at them. The Kid himself stood just inside the door with his gun leveled at Leota and her boys.

And Toby stood at the other side of the room, armed with a handgun aimed at Kid Curry, who had not as yet noticed him.

Heyes was able to quickly figure out what had happened. When the Kid had forced himself into the room, he took the Greaves by surprise. Heyes knew he had not entered with gun drawn, but clearly RayBob shot at him and missed, and the Kid aimed to kill. He then forced the other boys to relinquish their arms and made them and their mother sit harmlessly. But in the same instant, Heyes realized that Toby did not know what was going on, and he was about to shoot the Kid in the back!

Thinking only of his partner, Heyes used his last bit of strength to lunge into the room, positioning himself between the Kid and Toby's firearm. "Toby, no!" he yelled. At that instant, a thousand things seemed to happen at once. Leota screamed, "I seen RayBob kill you! You're dead!" Scratch and Harl yelled something similar, and all three seemed fearful of what they perceived as a ghost. Kid Curry, responding only to his partner's behavior, twirled instantly to confront the enemy behind him. Toby was in the process of squeezing the trigger when he saw Heyes jump in front of him. Although happily recognizing Heyes, it was too late for him to stop. And Kid Curry drew quickly on Toby.

And Heyes, in the crossfire, slumped to the ground.

* * *

Kid Curry was confused. Although everything happened so fast, he was fairly certain his bullet had whizzed right past Heyes. And he had seen Toby, in an unconscious effort to avoid hitting Heyes, aim his gun just a little higher as he pulled the trigger. Both bullets, the Kid was sure, had embedded themselves harmlessly in the walls.

And yet Heyes lay unmoving on the floor.

It's difficult to believe how one man, the man who lay so still on the floor, could generate so much emotion from everyone around him. The first man who fell dead, RayBob Greave, was not mourned or missed by anyone in that room. His passing was insignificant, even to his mother. His death paralleled his life, violence beget violence. Thoughtlessness led to a careless end. He lay dead. No one cared.

But with Hannibal Heyes it was different. Each person in that room reacted powerfully to the sight of Heyes falling to the floor when the guns fired. Every person there felt something passionately. Reactions were immediate and compelling.

Leota, Scratch and Harl allowed their fear of the possible ghost to overcome their fear of the gunman and cowered in a corner of the room. Leota never stopped swearing, although she lowered the volume of her voice, and her two sons cowered behind her.

Kid Curry instantly holstered his gun and knelt down beside Heyes, even before the sounds of gunshot had ended. He was all business as he quickly scanned Heyes's body for new wounds and quiet as he then cradled his friend's head in his hands. "Heyes," he whispered, "Heyes . . ."

But Toby – Toby's reaction was the strongest of all. In stunned shock he let his gun fall to the floor. He stared silently at Heyes and the Kid for a minute. And then he screamed, "No!"

Kid Curry was, at first, unaware that Toby had dropped hard to his knees beside him. Toby's appearance was unimportant to him as he ran one hand over Heyes's mouth to feel for breath. The Kid was elated as he realized that Heyes was still very much alive. He gently laid his friend's head back down on the floor and checked his eyes. Heyes had most likely passed out from lack of blood and overexertion, he realized gratefully. There were no new wounds. He gently patted Heyes's face and called his name.

It was then that the Kid realized that Toby was next to him. He watched in fascination as Toby, in abject horror, rocked back and forth on his heels and whispered, "I killed him" repeatedly. He held his hands over his face, pushing his fists into his eyes.

The Kid could see that Heyes was beginning to come around, so he cast a watchful glance at the Greaves. Satisfied that they were powerless, his real concern became the boy. Toby was completely miserable, as if he had just lost his best friend. At first the Kid simply felt sorry for him since he remembered feeling that way himself recently. Then as he thought about it, he began to piece together things that had happened. Toby had brought food for Heyes. Heyes had called the boy his guardian angel. Toby had been mistreated by his relatives, just like Heyes had been. And Heyes had said that he believed Toby had hidden him to get him out of harm's way after the Greaves had dropped him off in the woods.

Toby did indeed feel like he had lost his best friend.

And worse – he believed he was responsible for his death.

In a great magnanimous gesture intended to comfort the very person who had just tried to kill him, Kid Curry put his hand on Toby's shoulder and said, "He's all right, Toby. He's not dead."

Toby reacted to the touch as if he'd been attacked, recoiling and falling backward. But apparently the Kid's words sank in and they both watched happily as Heyes opened his eyes and looked around to get his bearings. He gave the Kid a 'what happened?' look.

The Kid helped him to sit up. "You passed out, is all. Haven't been treated too well lately." He passed a menacing look around the room, starting with Leota and ending with Toby.

Toby's joy was obvious, even though he attempted to hide it by jumping up and running to the pump. He brought water back for Heyes, who told him, "Thanks, Toby. Don't worry about this guy. He's my friend, too."

Once again the Kid put his hand on Toby's shoulder and once again he felt the recoil, although not nearly as violent this time. He asked Toby for some rope and the two of them tied the hands of the Greaves behind their backs. Heyes was able to get to his feet slowly by himself and walked out to the porch for fresh air. In a moment he saw Kid Curry lead Leota, Harl and Scratch to the wagon to settle them in for the ride to the Sheriff's office. He knew his ordeal was finally over and he followed the Kid's movements with great admiration and affection.

* * *

Although Toby said he didn't care what happened to himself, the Sheriff informed him that since he wasn't directly involved in any of his relatives' crimes, he would not have to go to jail. A witness at the trial, maybe, and maybe not. When Toby walked out of the Sheriff's office he found Heyes and Curry waiting for him.

"What are you going to do now?" the Kid asked him. Toby just shrugged, not yet able to warm up to the man who Mr. Smith claimed was a friend.

Heyes smiled broadly and held out a piece of paper. "Here, Toby, this is for you. I know your ma taught you how to read. Go on, read it."

Toby looked quizzically at Heyes but took the paper and slowly unfolded and started reading it. In a moment, his eyes got big and he gasped. He looked up at Heyes in wonder.

"That's right, Toby," said Heyes gently. "Your ma will be here tomorrow to take you home. To take you to your new home. With her, where you belong. And no one will ever mistreat you again."

Although Heyes had spent several days with Toby, this was the first expression of emotion he witnessed in the boy. Toby was clearly overcome with happiness and his eyes filled with tears. He started to say "thank you" but couldn't get the words out. He tried covering his emotion by brushing his hand across his eyes. When he looked directly at Heyes and his bright smile, he broke down and threw his arms around him.

Heyes and the Kid glanced at each other, their own eyes misting.

A long, comforting meal at a quiet table in the far corner of the saloon worked wonders for all three of them. Each of them had a story to tell and the others listened intently. Kid Curry explained how he had tracked down Heyes and how Raybob had drawn on him very quickly as he had surprised the house and how he shot him and disarmed the other Greaves. Heyes explained how initially he had played poker with the Greave brothers and lost to them because they had cheated. He had promised to repay them the next day because he had feared their lunacy and had hoped to sneak out of town. But he had been taken prisoner and told he was to do the work the brothers were expected to do. When he first balked he had been beaten badly, and then beaten fairly often enough even though he began doing the work expected of him. He was seldom fed except for the food Toby slipped to him.

Toby's story was the most interesting of all, for he was able to fill in all the gaps. When he started speaking, his voice was even, but by the end of the story he was very emotional. He explained that his mother Annie was a sister to the boys but she was "mistreated" by them. Both Heyes and Curry wondered what he meant by that but kept silent, not wishing to interrupt the boy who seldom spoke. She always loved Toby and tried to shield him from her mother and brothers, but she took the brunt of the abuse herself. One day a few months ago Toby woke up and she was gone, leaving him only a note telling him to be good and she would return for him after she'd found a new life. He did want to stay with the Greaves but was afraid to leave for fear his mother wouldn't find him when she returned. They then began shoveling the abuse on him. Since Annie had done most of the work and Toby couldn't handle it all by himself, the boys started kidnapping strangers and forcing them to do slave labor, killing them once they were tired of them. Toby could remember two or three men who Raybob had killed and whose bodies were hidden in the woods. When Mr. Smith was brought in, Toby had taken an instant liking to his amiability and disdain for his captors. He did not want them to kill Mr. Smith and did what he could to keep him alive. Toby had been outside what he heard the gunshot that supposedly killed Mr. Smith and was greatly distressed to see the brothers carrying the body to the woods. He followed at a safe distance and after the brothers had gone, happily discovered that Mr. Smith was still alive, although just barely. He did what he could to dress the wound and hid him further in the woods so his superstitious uncles would think he had turned into a ghost if they returned. When he himself came back and saw that Mr. Smith was gone, he figured that he had recovered and left on his own. He was very happy to see Mr. Smith again, but Mr. Jones set his head spinning with his unexpected entry and quick draw. Anyhow, he was happy to see RayBob dead and the rest of them going to jail. And he was happy Mr. Smith wasn't shot again.

"Well, I'm pretty happy about that, too," said Heyes.

"Me, too," added the Kid. "You were a handful the _first_ time!"

Toby ignored them. "But how did you know my ma?" he asked Heyes. "And how did you know she was coming to fetch me?"

"You don't know it but _you_ told _me!" _Heyes wore his coy look. "That day you talked about your ma you told me a lot of things about her. You said she often talked about Johnson City, so I just put two and two together and sent a telegram to the Johnson City Sheriff. He knew her and had her contact me – that's the note you saw."

"It'll be a new life for you. A good one," said Kid Curry.

They watched as Toby's eyes misted and he looked down. He was a tough kid. He'd seen a lot and put up with a lot, none of which he deserved. Now everything was going to change for the better for him.

"If I can ever do somethin' for you, you tell me," was all he said.

Heyes and Curry couldn't think of anything, but still somehow they knew they could count on him.

* * *

All evening Heyes and the Kid had been quiet and pensive in their hotel room, particularly the Kid. But later, as the Kid was changing Heyes's bandage to a clean one before retiring for the night, he suddenly felt like discussing the ordeal one more time.

"I been thinking . . ."

"Sounds dangerous, Kid. Ow! Be careful! I'm only human, you know."

"Sorry. I been wondering – what made you decide to try to save Toby?"

"The rest of them didn't seem to want saving."

"You know what I mean! Why didn't you just get out when you could?"

Heyes's expression turned wistful. "Don't really know, Kid. It just felt like something I had to do, like I was there for that reason. After robbing so many people, this was something I could give back for once. And from the first, I could tell Toby wasn't one of them. He was good to me, against their wishes. He didn't talk much, but I could see he was hurting, too, in his own way." Heyes sighed and shook his head.

The Kid allowed Heyes a moment before continuing. "So Toby was the reason?"

Heyes spoke softly. "Yeah. I needed more time to talk to him, to convince him to escape with me. I was trying to find out why he wouldn't leave, but he was, well, too much to himself. I just needed time to talk him into leaving. I figured if I told you the real reason you'd think it wasn't good enough and whisk me away. I knew you were only thinking of me. You've got a good heart, Kid."

"You too, Heyes, you too."

The Kid finished up the bandaging job and helped Heyes get into bed. He extinguished the lamp and crawled into his own bed.

In a moment, he heard Heyes say, "Kid, Toby was waiting for his ma to show up. Not knowing if she ever would or not, but he still believed in her. Do you think she would ever have come if I hadn't sent that telegram?"

"Hard to tell. Maybe not. She was probably afraid to come back."

Hannibal Heyes sighed and looked into the darkness. "You know, Kid, I don't agree. I think she would have returned for her son. Toby had love in his heart, and he got that from someone. The only one it could have been was her. And when you feel that strongly about someone, you'll do anything to be with them."

Kid Curry shook his head 'yes' in the dark. There was no need to say anything else.

* * *

_Disclaimer:__ All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended_.

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